16. Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
I t was all better than Richard could have hoped. Mr Bennet, though a deliberately contrary, dry-witted sort, was not at all a bad fellow. He may have been an indolent parent, as Bingley had cautioned before making the introduction, but he was not the man to be swayed to another’s interest at the expense of his own. He would pose no ulterior threat to Georgiana, and by one or two comments gleaned from his speech, he appeared genuinely interested in promoting adventures afield for his eldest unmarried daughter. It was precisely as Bingley had apprised him earlier—Mr Bennet would not deny the request he had hoped to make.
Mr Gardiner proved the backbone to the whole scheme. Richard had laughed and sported gaily with the man, but in truth he had been heavily evaluating every nuance of inflection and manner. What he found pleased him greatly. This tradesman was far from the tufthunter he might have feared—in fact, it was probably no leap to surmise that the two Bennet sisters with whom he had spoken the most had learnt their grace and dignity more from their aunt and uncle than their parents.
Gardiner had been watching him with a hawk-like gaze as well, and Richard grunted at last in satisfaction. This tradesman would be a fierce protector, and Bingley’s glowing testimony only served to reinforce his own conclusion. He could trust this man with his very life.
Drawing a desperate gasp of courage, Richard angled for his opportunity, and made his proposition. His words were initially met with silence, raised brows, and pursed lips. Bingley, his eyes roving between Richard and the other two men, voiced his endorsement of the plan, and a careful discussion ensued.
“Colonel,” Mr Bennet sighed at last, “would not Netherfield or London suffice for the present?”
“My cousin’s heart is in Derbyshire, sir, and thence I hoped to return her. She must take up the reins of the estate someday, and it would be my wish for her to do so with an able counselor and faithful friend at her side. If, however, London is the permission you will grant, then I shall ask for no more at present.” Richard waited, his gaze shifting between the two guardians with panting faith growing in his chest.
The men shared another look, but it was Edward Gardiner who spoke—mercifully so, for it was he upon whom Richard had hung his hopes. “Bingley, would you be so good as to ask Elizabeth to come to us?”
“Pray do not trouble yourself. I will go, with your permission,” Richard promptly offered. It was out of no generosity of spirit that he did so—this was to be the final omen regarding the success of his endeavour. If Elizabeth Bennet had brought a smile to Georgiana’s face and offered her some emotional shelter even in that noisy drawing room, he would take it as a sign that all would be well.
He found the pair situated still in the centre of the parlour, but cloistered in a world of their own making, happily disregarding the whole room while three other conversations breezed all about them. For the first time in months, Georgiana’s pink countenance reflected ease as Miss Elizabeth laughed expressively at some innocent mot by the younger girl.
By Jove, he assured himself at last. This will work!
His presence could not go unremarked, for Mrs Bennet and that other daughter—Catherine, was it? —both hastened to welcome him back to the room.
“Colonel, I do hope you have not come just now to bid your adieux!” Mrs Bennet mourned. “I was just about to ask my Jane if your whole party might stay to dine this evening. You will not mind the informality, surely? We are quite in the habit of frequent family dinners upon short notice.”
He returned a broad smile, influenced in no small measure by the happy signs appearing before him. “I am at my host’s pleasure, Ma’am. If Mr and Mrs Bingley are inclined to remain, I shall certainly be the last to say nay.”
“Then it is settled!” Mrs Bennet cried, forgetting in her enthusiasm to obtain Jane’s or Mr Bingley’s assent. The word of the colonel in his flashing regimentals, whose eyes frequently rested upon her daughter, was more than sufficient. “Mary, dear, ring for Hill. I must have her bring out that lovely ham. Colonel, I trust you do like ham?”
He bowed gallantly. “After living on soldier’s rations, I have learnt to like nearly everything, Madam. I am confident that anything I encounter at your table shall soon become my favourite dish.”
Mrs Bennet gave a pleased little giggle, for despite his chivalrous speech, Richard’s gaze had roved to the pair on the sofa during much of the exchange. Her suggestive smile only confirmed his suspicions that she saw him as a fair prospect for one of her daughters, and once more his cravat seemed altogether too tight. Well, what matter if the old dame thought he intended to propose marriage? For one of Miss Elizabeth’s fire and wit he might almost have been persuaded to make an exception to his sworn bachelorhood, but at present, what he hoped to ask of the young lady was of far greater import. He glanced back to Mrs Bennet. “Won’t you excuse me, Madam?”
Elizabeth Bennet had trained one curious eye on him since he had first appeared in the room, but had maintained her conversation with Georgiana as cheerfully as ever. As he approached now, however, she turned with a welcoming smile. “Colonel, we were just debating the merits of long feathers in a lady’s hair. One of us finds them the pinnacle of fashionable elegance, the other thinks them a treacherous hazard to the noses of prospective dance partners. I do hope you have come to help us settle the matter, for we are at complete odds!”
He paused, startled into a laugh—just, apparently, as Georgiana had also been. Was Georgie actually snickering behind her hand? His confidence swelled as he grinned and dipped his head. “And which viewpoint is the safest for me to espouse, Miss Bennet?”
“Oh, no, we cannot make it that simple, can we Miss Darcy?” she laughed. “You must choose, sir, only I caution you to remember with which lady you must share a carriage back to London.”
“If that be the case, I find myself in dangerous waters, Miss Bennet.” Yes, Georgiana was laughing! His fists nearly clenched in triumph as his unconscious grin widened.
Georgiana smiled back to him now. “Miss Elizabeth is teasing you, Richard, we were speaking of other matters entirely.”
“Then I am safe! I cannot begin to express my relief, for the journey is cold enough at this time of year without being at a variance with one’s traveling companion. I should like to enquire further into your delightful conversation, however, Miss Bennet’s presence has been requested in the library.”
For the briefest second, Georgiana’s eyes widened nervously. He felt a pang of regret at so soon robbing Georgiana of her companion, even temporarily as he hoped. To his relief, Jane Bingley and Mrs Gardiner had drawn her into their circle almost before Miss Elizabeth had fully quitted the room with him.
He paused in the hall with her, wondering what ideas were sparking behind those brilliant eyes at his singular request. “Miss Bennet,” he hesitated, wishing he could corner her there and then to extract the looked-for promise of aid, but her father deserved to have his say and her uncle’s assurances were yet required. Still… “I wish to take a moment to thank you,” he finally decided. “Whatever else may happen, you brought a smile to Georgiana’s face today. It has been too long since I have seen it, and I am grateful, Miss Bennet.”
She gazed steadily, unflinchingly back. “I owed it to her, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
He was still wondering what she could have meant by her words when she turned and led him to the library.
E lizabeth stared at her father. Had he really just endorsed this scheme? He was tipping his forehead down, eyes raised over his spectacles at her, just as he was wont to do on the rare occasions when he saw fit to enforce his will. There could be no doubts—he meant for her to accept Colonel Fitzwilliam’s offer.
Another glance swept the room. Her uncle’s expression was quietly contemplative as he hid behind crossed arms, Bingley’s perfectly satisfied. Apparently, none held any qualms at the colonel’s proposition, and it only remained for her to accept. Her heart soaring, she longed to do so, but….
“What of Miss Darcy, sir? Have you spoken to her of these matters?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam shifted in his chair. “No, Miss Bennet. I wished to obtain your father’s blessing and your consent. Your uncle’s cooperation is instrumental as well, as you will require an escort. I did not wish to raise hopes in my cousin which I could not satisfy.”
“I applaud your discretion, sir, but I wonder if she might not object to another constant chaperon in general, and myself in particular.”
“Object to you!” he cried, forgetting that the lady’s father watched his every word with keen interest. “Miss Bennet, your name was the first to give her pleasure in many months. No, I think she will not object. Besides, your role is not to be that of a chaperon, but a guest and a friend—an equal, Miss Bennet. I would not even cast the word ‘companion’ upon you, for I would not blight your prospects so. It is my hope that the arrangement will to be to your mutual advantage.”
Elizabeth’s stomach coiled. There was much the colonel did not—could not—know! “Sir, I thank you for your consideration, but I am not well-suited for such a task. I know nothing of the sort of society to which Miss Darcy belongs. My company can do her no favours, surely, I—”
“Miss Bennet,” he held up a hand to stay her objections. “I care nothing for Society at the moment. I am not Darcy, nor am I my aunt, nor even my father. I am simply a military man who finds himself the reluctant guardian of a grief-stricken and traumatised girl whose responsibilities outweigh her experience. Her happiness and growth in character are my primary concerns, and I can think of none better suited to the task than yourself. Even were I not committed to my other business, I would have made this same request the moment her eyes lit up at the mere mention of your name. You have the gifts of courage and good humour, Miss Bennet, not to mention a most useful intelligence and, according to your father, some experience sharing a Mistress’s duties about an estate. My cousin needs you. Please, may I count on your assistance?”
Elizabeth glanced once more at the men assembled round the room. Mr Bingley, who had so generously tried to promote her advantages, her uncle, who had faithfully supported and cherished her all her life, and her father…. His face was greyer than she had ever seen, the lines of his cheeks more haggard, but there was an iron in his eye. She knew that look, for it reflected often in her own mirror, but seldom did she see it in her parent.
Elizabeth sighed, then looked again to the colonel. “Then I accept, sir. I will go to Pemberley with Miss Darcy and my uncle.”
She could watch the tension leave his shoulders, but he merely bowed with good grace. “I thank you, Miss Bennet. I shall speak with your father and uncle about the arrangements.”
“Before you do so,” she lifted her chin and gazed directly into his eye, “I would ask for a moment alone, sir.”
He flicked a glance toward her assembled guardians, but Elizabeth focused her gaze steadily on him. She would give none an opportunity to object to her request, and the colonel as much as anyone else sensed her determination. “Of course, Miss Bennet,” he acquiesced.
As the others filed out—each with a sympathetic glance toward the colonel—Elizabeth moved to a distance across the room from him, placing herself behind a chair. Crossing her arms over the back, she waited for the door to close. “Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she moistened her lips, looking thoughtfully to the floor. “Before bringing me into Miss Darcy’s confidences, I must tell you that there is a matter of some delicacy, of which you ought to be informed. I think it likely that you will wish to rescind the offer.”
“I presume you refer to your younger sister? Mr Bingley told me that she had been abandoned by her husband and is even now with child and living here at Longbourn. Are you concerned that some shadow of disgrace taints you? I assure you, Miss Bennet, I care little for that.”
“Did Mr Bingley happen to tell you the name of her ‘husband,’ sir?”
His brow furrowed. “Why, no, I do not think he… he must not have thought it a matter of import. I only heard it was a chap who had been stationed with the militia in Brighton.”
“Perhaps Mr Bingley did not wish to dissuade you from your plan. It is Mr Wickham, sir.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam had always seemed a genial, amiable fellow, but in that moment Elizabeth bore witness to the savage fire he must have carried onto the battlefield. His features darkened, his eyes flamed, and his fingers flexed as though reaching for an absent pistol. Fitzwilliam Darcy at his most brooding could not have compared in this moment to the intimidating ire flashing in the colonel’s bearing. “ Wickham! ” he spat.
Elizabeth gripped the back of her chair. “I am afraid so, sir. Can you still wish for the association with my family? I would not wish to occasion Miss Darcy any further grief than she has already experienced.”
The colonel’s expression froze. “How much do you know, Miss Bennet? What has that blackguard told you? I swear, if he has impugned my cousin’s honour—”
“It was Mr Darcy himself who related the matter to me,” Elizabeth interrupted hoarsely.
“Darcy!” The colonel’s face drained and he gaped a moment. “Darcy, my cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy the Silent One… he told you about Wickham? Everything?”
Elizabeth cringed, gritting her teeth. “I suspect there was more he did not relate, but I know enough to understand that my relationship—reluctant though it is—to Mr Wickham would certainly distress Miss Darcy. So, do you see, Colonel, though I would wish to accompany her to Pemberley, I do not think it the wisest prospect.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam had begun to pace, a hand thoughtfully covering his mouth. At once, he paused with an inspired expression. “Your sister was the girl! The one Darcy forced Wickham to marry just before that villain absconded to parts unknown!”
She caught a pained breath and closed her eyes. Her voice was scarcely above a whisper when she dared respond. “She was.”
Two long strides brought him swiftly to her side, and he caught up her hand in an impassioned plea. “You must come to Pemberley, Miss Bennet! Do you not understand? His utter faith in your confidence, the measures to which he went for your family—Darcy’s regard for you must have been stronger even than I could have imagined! He never would have done such for any other. He would have wished for you to be the one to comfort Georgiana!”
She glared, cold and hard, and yanked her hand away. “I do understand, Colonel! It is precisely that which disqualifies me. Miss Darcy would not have been robbed of her brother, had I not been so prejudiced and my sister so impulsive! Had I accorded him the least measure of the goodness that was truly his, he would not have felt compelled to explain himself against my unjust accusations! And had I the courage to prevent my sister from falling prey to Mr Wickham after all I knew, his life would not have fallen into the hands of those who would do him harm! You may feel free to despise me now when I confess the truth to you, for his death was my fault, Colonel.”
White and shaken, Colonel Fitzwilliam stared in stricken awe. “His death…” he mouthed slowly.
He paused carefully for a moment, then his voice returned. “Yes, that is precisely the issue, is it not? Let us be frank with one another, Miss Bennet, for we both understand the implications of Darcy’s actions where you were concerned. Darcy is gone, and had been exerting himself for your benefit. If I must, then I shall impose that obligation upon you and demand your assistance as a matter of justice!
“You may think me ungentlemanly, and rightfully so, but I find myself in an untenable position. Georgiana needs you —I need you, Miss Bennet! I have none other in whose care I may leave her, none in whom I can have faith of good intentions and none who could lend her the confidence she requires to hold her own among her relations. Aye, smile if you wish, but you have met my aunt. I need an avenging angel to drive her back and guard my cousin while she grows into her own potential. Fortune—nay, Darcy’s own wishes! — have led me to you, and I beg of you to accept!”
She was reeling back, shaking her head. “What must she think, sir? No, it is impossible! Any good I might hope to do her would be unraveled when she comes to know me for the miserable creature I am. Far better that I should remain here to attend my own sister, for with Lydia at least I have made my peace, and her need is no less than Miss Darcy’s.”
“Georgiana’s.”
She tilted her head quizzically. “I beg your pardon?”
His courage seeming to grow, he stepped near again. “Her name is Georgiana. She is sixteen years old and her parents both died when she was a child. She has recently lost her only brother, and the last person in the world who does not wish to take advantage of her circumstances is a frazzled old soldier whose experiences leave him ill equipped to counsel a bashful young heiress.”
She was staring at the floor, moisture pooling in her eyes. “It is most unfair of you, sir, to forcibly remind me of the things I already knew.”
He came round her chair, removing the final barrier between them and resting his hand over hers to prevent her escape. “I was trained to win battles, Miss Bennet, not to fight fairly. Your father has already spoken to me of his wish for you to mingle in different society, so I am unfortunately aware that you will not remain here with your own sister in any case. Well do I know your goodness and your delight in rising to challenges. Can you truly believe that you would be content simply to promenade about London with your aunt, all while knowing that Georgiana might have profited by your company?”
Elizabeth drew an unsteady breath. “And what of Georgiana? Would she not be troubled when she learns the full truth?”
His gaze never wavered as he tightened his jaw and attempted to stare her down. “That moment is not yet upon us, Miss Bennet. I think if it ever does arrive, you will find much of your distress was for naught. I believe Georgiana will feel as I do; that you take far more blame upon yourself than any other would dream of ascribing to you. Moreover, I daresay that even your errant sister shall receive Georgiana’s unstinting support when they are introduced at dinner. Georgie… well, Miss Bennet, my cousin is well aware how a young lady might be misled. She will be the last of all to assign blame.”
Elizabeth had met his hard stare without flinching until his last words. At these, she dropped her eyes and meditated on the depth of her own conviction. No, she could not be pardoned so easily! She dashed an unruly tear from her cheek, then glared back at him again. “I think you are wrong, Colonel, but I cannot deny that I owe her this debt. This far I will agree; I will accompany Georgiana to Pemberley and remain as her friend and guest for as long as you are out of the country.”
“No longer than that? I hope you do not assume, Miss Bennet, that I shall be returned in a matter of two or three weeks. My travels may take me far abroad in my search for answers.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips and withdrew her hand from under his. “Then let us be honest with one another, sir. What answers, pray, do you seek? For if you are to ask me to alter everything at your pleasure and place my future at the disposal of yourself and Miss Darcy, I believe I deserve to know the entirety of the matter.”
A slow tug curved his mouth, and the twinkle she remembered from Kent returned faintly to his eye. He tilted his head quizzically, and at last gave a soft, knowing chuckle, but he did not answer.
Elizabeth crossed her arms in annoyance. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, I have been most forthright with you, but when I ask the same courtesy, I am instead met with derision! I cannot help now but wonder if I have not given my word in haste and shall soon regret—”
“I beg your pardon, Miss Bennet!” he laughingly objected. “I mean you no disrespect, I assure you. I only came to see another side of you for a moment, and it really is little wonder… well, I digress. Naturally you have every right to enquire what is to keep me away from my cousin while she is so vulnerable, and to know what my expectations are. To be quite truthful, I cannot answer. There is a matter of honour and justice that compels me to search out all that I may, even at the expense of leaving my cousin in another’s trust.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed speculatively. She turned away from him and wandered to the window, gazing out to the snow-dusted drive where stood the impressive carriage emblazoned with the Darcy crest. “You speak of matters of honour, sir,” she mused, then turned sharply. “Have you some means of bringing justice down upon those who killed Mr Darcy? Have you traced them, do you know who they are?”
Something flickered across his mouth—a smile? A scowl? “Not yet,” was his terse reply.
The colour flashed in her cheeks and she strode quickly to him. “But you have found something! You have learned some little of what happened, or you would not be going!”
He cocked his head again, lightly stunned at her swift conclusion. “You are correct, Miss Bennet. There was much for which I could not account, and though I still know very little, at least now I have some direction. I sail for the Continent in three days.”
Her eyes widened. “What could be on the Continent?”
“ Whom , do you mean? There is a slight connection—a pitiful excuse for true information, but the more I have uncovered, the more mysterious matters have become. I cannot ignore this lead, but I beg you would reveal my errand to no other, and most particularly not to Georgiana. I could not bear to raise her hopes and then see them dashed once more if I am wrong. There is also the surety that anyone hearing of my intentions without knowing all that I know would think me mad!”
Elizabeth’s breath seized, her chest heaving without managing to fill her lungs as her heart spun wildly. Caught up fully in the mysterious hope of the colonel’s words, it was all she could do not to grasp the golden epaulets on his shoulders and shake him until he confessed all. “Sir, you may be assured of my secrecy, but I beg you would tell me. What is it you know? What hopes do you fear granting Georgiana?”
His chin shifted to the side and he drew a deep breath. “The body in the grave was not Darcy.”